Meet our Conservation Team
“Men wanted for Hazardous Journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success”
Advertisement placed in newspapers by Sir Ernest Shackleton calling for recruits to the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914-17
The Trust's Ross Sea Heritage Restoration Project is managed by our Programme Manager and the work is carried out by an international team chosen for their relevant heritage/conservation/polar expertise.
Our team of experts (carpenters, archaelogists) work onsite on the building structures each summer (November to February). Our team of conservators work year round in Antarctica (a summer shift: September to February and a winter shift: February to September), based mainly at New Zealand's science facility Scott Base.
The profiles of our staff and some of the companies and individuals we work with are detailed below.
Programme Manager - Staff
Al Fastier is the Trust’s Programme Manager and is responsible for project managing the physical delivery of the Ross Sea Heritage Restoration Project. This includes recruiting and managing specialists to work on the site, setting and managing budgets, overseeing procurement, logistics and implementation of the physical works program in Antarctica. Al has extensive project management experience in remote location projects and holds a university degree in parks management. Al has worked in Antarctica and has over ten summers worth of experience working in Antarctica (plus a season wintering over).
Winter Over Conservators - Staff
We have a year round presence in Antarctica with our conservators deploying to Antarctica twice a year where they are based at New Zealand’s Scott Base to undertake either the “Winter” (Feb to Aug) or “Summer”(Aug to Feb) shift to conserve the thousands of artefacts associated with the expedition bases.
You can follow our four winter over conservators as they work and play in Antarctica via the Natural History Museum web blog - updated twice a week.
Therese Charbonneau, Brantford, Ontario Canada. Therese comes to us on loan from the Hamilton Civic Museums where she oversees preservation services. When she is not in Antarctica Therese is the Senior Conservator for the city’s seven museums and the public art and monument collection and has worked worked in the conservation field for more than 30 years, starting with the Canadian Conservation Institute’s mobile lab program.
Lizzie Meek, from Wellington, New Zealand. Lizzie has moved from art student to trade bookbinder to book conservator, working in New Zealand and in the UK for John Rylands Library, (Manchester) and the British Library, (London). For the last three years Lizzie has been the Senior Book Conservator at the National Library of New Zealand/Te Puna Matauranga O Aotearoa.
Susanne Grieve, from Virginia, USA. After receiving a BA in anthropology from the University of West Florida, Susanne completed an internship with the CSS Hunley project in South Carolina before going on to receive a master’s degree in conservation from the University College London. Susanne has been working at The Mariners’ Museum in Virginia for 3 years on the USS Monitor project.
Carla Pike, from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Carla began her career in conservation at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Carla has worked conserving organic and inorganic archaeological materials at the Colony of Avalon, Ferryland, an early 17thcentury British colonial site on the southern shore of Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula. In 2003/04 she gained further conservation training from Sir Sandford Fleming College in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada before becoming an intern and working for four years at the Peterborough Centennial Museum and Archives focusing on the textile and photographic collections.
Specialists Working on the Project
Julian Bickersteth, International Conservation Services. ICS has been involved with AHT since the mid 90s and Julian has travelled frequently to Antarctica to work on the project. ICS has supplied a range of services including initially supplying conservators for the summer seasons, then undertaking development of the artifacts conservation program, developing treatment methodologies for the artifacts and sourcing and employing conservators for the winter seasons.
ICS is an Australian based heritage consulting company that provides a range of multi disciplinary services in the areas of materials conservation, architectural conservation, collections management and exhibition management (including museum planning), cultural policy and website development. The company works throughout Australia and New Zealand as well as on projects in the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Kuwait and the UK.
Gordon Macdonald, Macdonald & Lawrence. As the Lead Heritage Conservation Carpenter Gordon has been involved with the project since 2004 and has over twenty years experience of working with historic timber building and specialises in traditional timber-frame carpentry.
Gord is managing director of Canadian company Macdonald & Lawrence, Chairman of UK company Carpenter Oak & Woodland and a director of the international non-profit organisation the Timber Framers Guild. Macdonald & Lawrence, is a specialist carpentry company that specialises in structural timber systems and conserves/repairs historic timber buildings. The company has projects underway all around the world.
Pip Cheshire, Cheshire Architects. Principal, Pip Cheshire, has been involved with the Ross Sea Heritage Restoration Project for a number of years. This includes his input into the conservation plans for Scott's bases at Hut Point and Cape Evans and Shackleton's base at Cape Royds (2003 and 2004). Pip is currently involved in the project in his capacity as the project architect for the conservation of Captain Scott's second base located at Cape Evans.
Cheshire Architects employs eighteen architects and building technicians on the waterfront in Auckland, New Zealand, and has a range of projects including the masterplanning of Auckland’s Britomart precinct - an area of some nine city blocks – and several coastal communities, the design of two luxury lodges, two theatres, several multi-storey mixed-use buildings - including the retrofitting of two heritage buildings - a University campus, and a number of ‘one off’ houses around New Zealand.
Michael Morrison, Purcell Miller Tritton.Michael is a leading UK conservation architect and was peer reviewer of the Conservation Plans for the expedition bases under our care. Michael has twice travelled with the Trust to Antarctica and is now also involved in other polar projects, particularly on the Antarctic Peninsula.
Purcell Miller Tritton LLP is an architectural practice which focus on the repair and conservation of historic buildings. The practice has ten offices across England with a total staff of 150. Current projects include work at The British Museum; The National Gallery; St Paul’s Cathedral; Westminster Abbey; The Houses of Parliament; Canterbury Cathedral; St George’s Hall, Liverpool; Wells Cathedral and Buckingham Palace amongst many other buildings and sites.
Charley Brentnall, Carpenter Oak & Woodland. Charley Brentnall runs a UK based consultancy specialising in the conservation, design and construction of timber frame, architecture and structure. He is also a founder and technical director of the timber frame company, Carpenter Oak & Woodland (a leading provider of bespoke timber-framed buildings in the UK) and has been involved in the project as a conservation carpenter since 2005.
Projects that Charley has been involved in range from early mediaeval buildings (including Windsor Castle) to public and religious buildings to our project in Antarctica. His work takes him around the world including Europe, North America and Asia.
Arrow International is a Construction and Project Management company based through-out New Zealand and Australia. Arrow International project managed the Trust's Ross Sea Heritage Restoration Project from 2001 - 2005. In 2005 the Trust employed a full time in-house programme manager to manage the project however, Arrow International remains closely involved through strategic advice and peer review.
Related Links and Documents
Want to work as a conservator in Antarctica?
Project to Conserve Shackleton's Base, Cape Royds